You Can Lead A Horse... (Rotorua) Traditional Cache

Mangorewa Scenic Reserve is an important ecological area on State Highway 36, directly linking Rotorua and Tauranga. SH36 was formalised in 2004, and this cache commemorates the historical nature of this inter-regional route which was a significant Maori trail, then developed into a military / stage coach route, then into an unsealed road for many decades last century, with progressive improvements over the last few decades, to its current fully sealed state.

You Can Lead A Horse...

The road was formed in 1869 as part of a central North Island military road that linked Napier, Taupo, Rotorua and Tauranga. The Rotorua / Tauranga section took 10 hours by coach and the original watering troughs date from this period. They were re-located in 2009 from their original site, on the Tauranga side of the old Mangorewa River bridge, as part of the $4.5 million Mangorewa / Kaharoa Gorge Improvement project. The bridge has now been replaced by a SuperSpan Arch.

The gorge received some notoriety in August 2009 when a massive landslip from the bluffs above the road between the two bridges crushed one car and pushed another over the cliff towards the river. This was extensively reported in the news, and examples are found here and here. The final SH36 rockfall report was released in March 2010.

The concrete blocks, around the carpark border, were recovered from the Mangorewa River and are part of fortifications dating from World War II. Concrete and wire strop tank traps controlled huge tree trunks which could have been laid with precision across the road.The gorge also contained a trench system dug by the Home Guard, when it looked like becoming a defensive position if the Japanese had invaded New Zealand.

A large information sign is now near the GZ, with further information.

The Mangorewa Walking Track starts just past the next bridge, towards Tauranga, over the Ohaupara Stream. In the Mangorewa catchment, Rimu and Red Beech are dominant over Tawa with other Beeches also present. Some pure Kamahi stands provide evidence of earlier fires. The old-growth forest, undisturbed by logging, has high wildlife values: Kokako, Kiwi and Wheo (Blue Duck) have been recorded in the area. The walking track leads to a hut in the beech forest and the return can be made along the same route, or - for experienced trampers used to river crossings on slippery rock surfaces - via the Mangorewa River to end here, in the newly developed carpark, by the Mangorewa River Bridge. For a map and yet more information, see pages 46-48 of Rotorua Walking Tracks.

The road has an average traffic count of 2300+ vehicles per day and the carpark often has vehicles in it, so stealth is required. The difficulty rating reflects both this and the cache container, which is not a 'standard' container and is rarely seen (or not) in an urban setting. You can park right besides the cache.